Chimichurri

Following on from my previous post, I thought I’d write about Chimichurri.
Chimichurri is the condiment that is traditionally served with beef asado and chorizo in Argentina and Uruguay. Sometimes it is used to marinate pork and chicken before grilling, but it is more commonly used as a condiment for barbequed meats.

The closest equivalent to Chimichurri that I can think of is Italy’s Salsa Verde. The proportions are slightly different however. Chimichurri is more assertive than Salsa Verde, the vinegar dominating somewhat, which is important as many of the traditional meats used for asado are rather fatty. The sharpness of Chimichurri balances the greasiness of the barbequed meat and chorizo.
I use a Spanish sherry vinegar- it is incredibly sharp and does the job superbly. You can use red wine vinegar but you will need to adjust the quantities to get the right balance of flavours. Garlic is crucial too, but I use less than my grandmother or mother would both use. I’m not particularly fond of raw garlic. I can think of many other things I would rather smell of (Chanel, Dior or Gaultier). But by all means, if you like garlic odours seeping from your bodily pores, add as much as you like! At least you will keep the vampires from attacking during the night…

Components
250ml extra virgin olive oil (use a soft grassy oil, rather than an assertive peppery oil)
60ml Spanish sherry vinegar (more or less)
60ml water
1 tsp Spanish paprika (sweet, not smoked)
1 tsp ground cumin
A pinch ground chili
1 garlic clove, very finely chopped
1 Tbsp fresh thyme, finely chopped
1 tsp dried Greek oregano
1 large bunch parsley, leaves only, finely chopped
1 tsp sugar
Sea salt
Fresh black and white pepper

Process
Combine all the ingredients.

Check the flavours, adding more vinegar, garlic etc to suit your palate.
Allow to sit for at least an hour to allow the flavours to blend.

Chimichurri keeps well, refrigerated, stored in a glass jar. Just remember to shake the mixture before serving, as it has a tendency to separate upon standing. Chimichurri is best at room temperature before serving.

Meltingly Tender Asado (Slow Roasted)

“Asado” is the South American word for meat barbequed on a grill over hot coals. The most popular cut of meat to grill for asado is beef rib. Morcilla (blood sausage), chorizo (spicy beef and pork sausage), spatchcocked chicken, and suckling pigs can make an appearance from time to time, depending on the occasion. Asado is traditionally served with Chimichurri (herb & vinegar sauce) and Tomato Salsa. I will post recipes for both condiments tomorrow and the day after.
The alpha male traditionally grills the asado and the women organize the condiments and salads. As I am (insert sarcastic gay accent) so butch and masculine, you can probably figure out which task I assumed when I lived at home.
I wouldn’t have the slightest clue how to light a fire, heat coals or stand by an outdoor barbeque with tongs in hand turning pieces of beef ribs and sausages. Maybe one day my father will teach me how to be a “real” man…
Actually I don’t even like eating asado. I find the traditional Argentine cut of beef ribs unappetizing- too much fat, too much gristle, too much bone and not enough tender meat. But Argentines and Uruguayans love it. So who am I to argue with millions of fanatical South Americans over their beloved national barbeque?
My version, I must admit, is more “Domestic God” than “Gaucho”. I prefer to slow roast my beef ribs in the oven- the result being meltingly tender, slightly sticky meat. My father’s head will probably spin like Linda Blair’s in “The Exorcist” when he reads this. But even though my method is not traditional, I promise it is marvelously tasty.
For this recipe try to find a butcher who cuts ribs the Argentine way- that is cut crosswise, across the bone rather than along the bone (see the picture below).

Components
Per person
1/2 kilo Argentine style beef ribs
Sea salt
Olive oil

Process
Heat the oven to 150c.
Season the ribs with salt and drizzle with a touch of oil.
Place the ribs into a baking dish. I use a ceramic dish with a lid. The ribs should fit closely.
Cover the dish with its lid and slow roast for 2 hours. The ribs will be tender (almost be falling from the bones, but not, if that makes sense) and well coloured. If you find the meat hasn’t sufficiently browned, turn the oven to the highest setting and allow the meat to colour and crisp a little.
Serve with Ensalada rusa, Chimichurri and Tomato Salsa.

Rabbit Escabeche

My grandmother recently sent me a handwritten notebook containing family recipes. One of the recipes in that book was for Rabbit Escabeche. For those who don’t know, escabeche is chicken or rabbit (or fish) braised in vinegar and served at room temperature. It is one of those old dishes from when refrigerators did not exist, and people had clever ways of preparing food to keep for later.
Strictly speaking this is not an escabeche, but the flavours comes close. I have played around with the original recipe slightly (I hope my grandmother doesn’t mind). I have kept the aromatics whole, whereas my grandmother cuts them into julienne. I have also changed the cooking technique; my grandmother does the whole thing over the stove, I slow cook mine in a covered dish in the oven. Obviously the stovetop version is quicker but I’m keeping that to do with boneless chicken thighs for a speedy, summer meal.
I must say I am extremely fussy when it comes to vinegar. Vinegars are not all the same, and the only way to find a good one is by trial and error. I’d heard people rave about a certain Spanish wine vinegar, which I reluctantly tried, thinking to myself that it was rather expensive for vinegar. Up until then I’d thought all vinegars where the same, but I now know better, and I now have 13 types of vinegar sitting in the pantry.
The accompanying rice dish is one from Chile. My mother had many Chilean girlfriends when I was a small boy. They were always popping around to have a chat in their native language Spanish. This particular dish was introduced to my mother’s repertoire by one of those friends, and I find it addictive. It is a very simple dish- white rice infused with garlic and green peppers, all cooked in the rice cooker. So simple, but so good. I had become nostalgic when I read about the recipe on Vida's blog the other day, and I just had to make it that night to serve with my braised rabbit.

Components
4 rabbit legs
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper
2 carrots, peeled and cut in two pieces.
1 brown onion, peeled and quartered
50ml excellent red wine
50ml excellent white wine vinegar.
1 tsp sugar
Extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
4 small fresh bay leaves

For the rice
1 cup white, long grain rice
Sea salt
1 garlic clove, crushed but whole
1 green pepper, cut into large chunks
Extra virgin olive oil

Process
Heat the oven to 150c.
Season the rabbit legs with salt and pepper.
Place the rabbit pieces, carrots and onion into a small ceramic baking dish with a lid.
Pour over the wine vinegars and sugar.
Top each rabbit piece with a bay leaf and a piece of garlic. All should be in one layer and fit rather tightly.
Drizzle over a generous amount of olive oil. The oil will help balance the vinegar, and it will lubricate the lean rabbit.
Cover the dish with the lid and place in the oven for about 2 hours, or until the rabbit is tender and lightly golden.
Discard the onion and garlic. Allow to cool in the dish.
Rinse the rice until the water is clear(ish) and place it in the rice cooker.
Add an equal amount of water and a drizzle of oil. Season with salt.
Lay the garlic clove and green pepper pieces on the rice- they should sit on the rice and infuse it with their fragrance as it cooks.
Serve the rabbit and the carrots at room temperature, accompanied by the warm rice and green peppers. Serves 4.

Ensalada Rusa

I had decided to spend Sunday slow braising a rabbit in the oven. However when I realized it would be 30 plus degrees I quickly changed my mind- I did not think it a good idea to have the oven on all day with such warm weather.
Not to worry.
As I’m always prepared when it comes to food (the only area of my life in which I’m prepared), I decided to cook chorizo sausages instead. I served the sausages with Chimichurri sauce and Ensalada Rusa- a very traditional South American combination of dishes and perfect for summer.
Ensalada Rusa translates to Russian Salad from Spanish to English. I was surprised to learn from Mike that the Russians make a similar salad, but it includes diced beetroots (his parents are Russian). Maybe Russian immigrants brought it with them to South America? There is also a salad of the similar name in the repertoire of French haute cuisine, Salade Russe, but it is a much more complicated affair and contains too many ingredients for my liking.
This is probably the most popular salad in my family and is the obligatory accompaniment to barbequed meat (or asado, as it is known).
It is easier enough to prepare but needs attention to a few details for it to be excellent rather than mediocre:

• Make sure to choose waxy potatoes, as they will keep their shape when mixing the salad.
• Chop the carrot and potato into even-shaped dice. Smaller is better than bigger pieces.
• Don’t over cook the potatoes. I like to steam everything so they don’t become waterlogged or lose flavour.
• Be sure to use homemade mayonnaise. I have never tasted shop bought mayonnaise that actually tastes like mayonnaise (they are usually gluey and sweet).
• And finally (my own touch), whilst the potatoes are still warm toss them with a dash of white wine vinegar and olive oil. This simple step will give the salad extra flavour.

I know the world probably doesn’t need another recipe for mayo-smothered potato salad but this is a fine one. It tastes much, much nicer than similar salads you find at the supermarket deli. Besides, I have promised to write about the authentic, traditional foods of my heritage and this collection would not be complete without it.

Components
400g diced waxy potatoes (peeled weight)
200g diced carrots (peeled weight)
100g peas (shelled weight)
30 ml extra virgin olive oil
10 ml excellent quality white wine vinegar
Homemade Mayonnaise (flavoured with white wine vinegar rather than lemon juice)
Sea salt
Fresh black pepper

Process
Place all the vegetables (in one layer) in a steamer. Steam over boiling water until just cooked. You can steam everything separately if you want to catch the exact moment of each vegetable, if you like.
Place the just- cooked vegetables into a large bowl and toss with the combined oil and vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. This non-traditional step gives the salad extra tang, without changing the nature of the dish.
Once the vegetables have cooled and absorbed the oil and vinegar, toss with enough mayonnaise to coat and bind everything. Check the salt, adding more if need be.
Allow to rest a while, or serve straight away. You can garnish with pretty pieces of boiled egg if you are feeling festive.
Enough for 2 – 3 people (or more depending on how many salads you are presenting).

Arroz con Pollo

My family ate this dish quite often when I was growing up. Essentially, it is an easier, simplified version of Spanish Paella. Traditional Paella was prepared for festive and larger family celebrations while Arroz con Pollo was kept for weekday dinners. Poor mans Paella cooked by his housewife, as I like to put it
Paella is cooked in a very, large pan outdoors on the fire. It contains a variety of seafood, as well as chicken. Arroz con Pollo, being somewhat uncomplicated, is cooked in a covered saucepan and apart from rice, contains only chicken as its main feature.
My mother used long grain Australian rice, but nowadays I prefer Spanish Calasparra, which is a round, short grain rice. It’s available from Spanish and South American food shops. You can replace with Italian risotto rice, if that’s easier for you.
Good quality, genuine saffron makes an excellent distinction, lending a delicate, but unmistakable floral quality. Although this dish is definitely superior with saffron, it isn’t absolutely essential. My mother often substituted luxurious saffron with inexpensive yellow food dye when money was tight. I don’t see the point of cosmetically enhanced food and I would prefer to leave out all together. Please yourself with whatever option best suits.
Serve this dish with a grated sheep’s cheese (Pecorino), sprinkled over at the table. The assertive, salty flavours of the cheese give a pleasantly pungent edge to the dish.

Components
Olive oil
1 Spanish onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
½ small red pepper, chopped into small cubes
½ small green pepper, chopped into small cubes
1 small carrot, peeled and cut into small cubes
1 tsp dried greek oregano
Fresh thyme, finely chopped
Fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 very generous pinch of Spanish smoked paprika
1 tsp of Spanish sweet paprika
1 pinch of dried chili powder
Fresh pepper, both black and white
800g chicken pieces (leg and thigh are best)
800- 1000ml chicken stock (fake is fine)
1 very generous pinch saffron threads
200g Calasparra rice
A handful of peas (I use frozen)
Pecorino cheese, to serve

Process
Choose a lidded saucepan that will accommodate the chicken and rice comfortably. Sauté the onion, garlic, peppers, carrot and herbs with the olive oil gently for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Add both paprika's and chili and cook for a further minute.
In a separate pan, heat some olive oil and lightly brown the chicken portions. Add the chicken to the saucepan containing the sautéed aromatics. Pour away most of the fat from the pan and deglaze with combined stock and saffron. Add the stock to the chicken and aromatics. Cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes.
Add the rice, along with salt and pepper. Cover and continue to simmer for another 15 minutes. Add the peas and cook for a further 5 minutes or until the rice is just cooked. Should you find the rice cooked before it has absorbed all the liquid, turn of the heat, cover the pot and allow the dish to sit for 5 minutes or so.
Serve with grated Pecorino cheese.
Serves 2 – 4 people.

Torta Pascualina

I am convinced this pie, is the South American descendant of the Italian version with the same name. It is traditionally served during the Catholic week of Lent; hence the name. Torta Pascualina means Easter Cake (or Easter Tart) in Spanish (the Italian name is Torta Pasqualina). Obviously one is meant to eat this on Good Friday, but spoilt brats like myself don’t really care for religious observation. I eat what I want, when I want.
Originally, it was made with spinach. However proper, real spinach (not baby spinach) was not always available in Australia during past times, so silver beet was substituted. My mother tells me it can be very successfully made with frozen spinach- a convenient option, but I prefer to use fresh leaves.
I like a combination of fresh silverbeet and spinach, along with carrot, green peppers and peas for sweetness and texture.
Torta Pascualina is best eaten at room temperature. It is wonderful served at picnics and at family gatherings (religious or not).

Components
For the filling
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
¼ green pepper, finely chopped
1 small carrot, finely chopped
Olive oil and butter (20ml of each, or so)
650g silverbeet and spinach leaves, finely chopped
(Combined weight, I include some of the silverbeet stalk)
100g peas (I use frozen)
1 tsp dried Greek oregano
1 tbsp fresh thyme (or 1 tsp dried)
A pinch of chili powder
A pinch of sugar
Freshly grated nutmeg (I like plenty)
Sea salt
Black and white pepper, freshly ground
1 free-range egg
50g pecorino cheese, grated
2 tsp concentrated tomato puree

For the pastry
400g flour (Tipo 00)
1 free-range egg
20ml olive oil
Water
Sea salt

Process:
Preparing the filling
In a wide saucepan, soften the onion, garlic, carrot and green pepper in equal quantities of oil and butter. It will take about 20 minutes, done over a low heat-the aromatics should not brown. Add the silver beet, spinach, peas, herbs, spices and seasoning and continue cooking for another 20 minutes or so. The silver beet and spinach should cook right down, becoming dark green, smooth and sweet in flavour. Allow to cool. Check the seasoning- there should be plenty of nutmeg and pepper, with only a pinch of chili. Add the tomato paste, pecorino cheese and the egg. Set aside.

Preparing the pastry.
Mix all the ingredients together (add enough water to make a dough which is neither too soft, nor too hard). Knead for a few minutes until smooth. Wrap in cling film and allow to rest for a while. Divide the dough into 4 pieces and roll into rectangular pieces (15cm by 35cm). My grandmother almost always uses the pasta machine to roll out pastries (the machine gives a uniform, smooth result), and thus I do the same.

Construction and Baking.
Pre-heat the oven to 200c.
Place one sheet of the rolled pasrty onto a greased baking sheet. Spoon one half of the filling mixture onto the pastry.
Flatten the mixture so that it is evenly spread out over the pastry. Make sure you leave about 1cm around the edge of the pastry. Dampen the edge of the pastry with water.
Drape the next sheet over the top of the mixture and gently stretch the pastry so that the 2 edges meet.
Press firmly all around the edges to form a nice tight seal. Dampen the edges again with water then fold the edge over and press down with a fork to double seal the pastry edge.
Repeat the process to make a second pie.
Glaze the tops with beaten egg and pierce a few air holes in the top of the pie.
Bake until golden- about 15-20 minutes.
Allow the “torta” to cool and cut into slices.
You can also make smaller individual pies (perfect for work lunches), not traditional but charming nonetheless.

From the Land of Kimchi

This is my best friend Daniel plugging me on YouTube.
I have known Daniel for over 10 years and we have done a lot of bad, mad and dangerous things together over the years, even teaching me Korean Chicken Soup. He is possibly the coolest guy I know (apart from me).
We are going to be collaborating on another Internet project when he comes back to Australia. But I can’t say too much about that now. It wont be food related, just glamorous and fabulous, like us.
Here’s Daniel!

Paul's Heritage

Before I begin to document the foods of my childhood, I should better inform you of my background.
Both my parents are of Latin American descent.
My father is Argentine and his relatives have lived in Mendoza, Argentina for many generations.
My mother is of European descent. Both her parents were born in Portugal, but she was born in Montevideo, Uruguay- her parents migrated to Brazil and then settled in Uruguay.
My father and mother met in Sydney, Australia during the 1970s, fell in love and married. I was the first of four children.
I am Australian, but I don’t consider myself typically “Aussie”. Even though I was born here, my first language was Spanish. So for that reason I felt different to the other kids (as well as being gay- but that’s another story). For the first 5 years of my life I spoke only Spanish. It wasn’t until I started school that I realized Spanish was not the spoken language in Australia and that I had to learn English. And very quickly too! Apparently kids are better than adults at learning new languages. My mother struggled with English, and that is partly the reason why we only spoke Spanish at home (I’m sure my parents didn’t want to lose their South American identities either). She speaks English well enough now but with a strong Latino accent, whereas my fathers pronunciation is pretty much “true blue” Aussie.
Aside from language, I struggled with culinary differences. There was no vegemite, sausage rolls and scones for us at home. It was alfajores, dulce de leche and empanadas. In hindsight I am so glad for that now- South American food is much tastier than traditional Australian tucker!
Argentina and Uruguay have very similar traditions- both speak Spanish and eat similar foods. The main culinary influences of both countries are Italian, Portuguese and Spanish. We ate a lot of Italian style food modified to suit the South American palate. Later, I will be exploring the Italian- Latino fusion of pasta dishes. Argentines and Uruguayans are very serious about fresh pasta. My grandmother is an expert in the art of fresh pasta.
And of course, this legacy would not be complete without the South American obsession of barbequed, braised, grilled and roasted meat. Huge quantities of meat were consumed at home. In fact, when I think of my father, the first image that comes to mind is that of an enormous slab of Argentine style beef ribs and grilled chorizo.
I promise this to be a most authentic documentation of South American cuisine as I have experienced it- true and genuine, and to be revealed shortly.

Family Legacy

I think that by now most readers have a fairly good idea of what Mike and I like to eat. What remains a mystery though, is what we ate growing up as children.
In this modern, fast lifestyle we feel it is significant to document the foods and recipes of our traditional heritages. People don’t really seem to be concerned with the past anymore- especially when it comes to food.
We certainly do not wish to lose those dishes that brought celebration, comfort and joy to our respective families.
For now, Eat Me! will become our legacy to preserving the foods we both remember fondly from times past, both simple and festive.
Some recipes will be presented as they were, while others may be reinterpreted to represent contemporary tastes. Always we will strive to keep the true essence and authentic nature of these dishes.
Mike will describe the foods of his heritage, as I shall from mine. Our backgrounds are very different, but more about that later. We hope readers will find our recipes as exciting as we are looking forward to presenting them for you.